The Mythos Threat - Y'Golonac, Tsathogghua and Chaugner Faugn
Y'GOLONAC Rio de Janeiro has long been a city without law, the base for all manner of deviant rebel tribes and cults. The greatest symbol of its corruption is perhaps the famously descreted statue of Christ the Redeemer that looks down over the city. It's head has been removed, and what appear to be stigmata pierce the outstretched palms. Regardless of the damage it has substained, the statue has done well to remain in place since the Fall. The most obvious damage is argueably very recent. The city has long been a nest of pirates and cults, that depend on the seas and the wilderness surrounding the city for their survival. For a long time the city was uncontrolled, disputed territories marked by bloody battles between various rebel factions. One religionist faction, the remnants of Rio's Catholic community, held onto some of the city's universities and cathedrals, surviving despite the violent gangs that roamed the streets. As organised religion waned, and various gangs allied with the various cults that had begun to appear, one young Catholic, Mattias de Silva, made the insane pilgrimage to the figure of Christ. Surviving against all odds, and fasting in the chapel immediately beneath the statue, Mattias had a vision from which he transcribed a new book of Revelations, which he brought down from the mount to bring to the faithful. The heretical sect grew slowly, but in particular it grew by forging alliances with other groups, and in particular offering aid to the wounded and desperate. In particular the Church of the Living God is known for taking in pregnant women, and raising the children. Less known is that the cult, lead by a century old 'Father Mattias', educates the mothers-to-be, and their resulting children, in the ways of Y'golonac. Those that give birth conquer the pain of childbirth through channelling the Great Old One, and the resulting children, though to outward appearance human, are eternally connected to their Unholy Father Y'golonac. In recent decades, one of these children, Seu 'de Silva', has claimed control of much of the city, with a gang of rebels that decend from the same unholy bloodline. Though they have some connection with pirates they remain, for the most part, based in the city, even restoring some of its glory as a carnival town. The Church has ensured those that follow it are educated, which has allowed them many benefits over the less civilised and organised cults. Seu cemented his rule over the city the day he ascended up to the figure of Christ and descreted it, in praise of Y'golonac. Rio is now Y'golonac's greatest sphere of influence, where the Great Old One, awoken in the hearts and minds of many, truly does walk amongst them. Needless-to -say, behind closed doors the Church is as debased as any of the pre-Fall cults devoted to Y'golonac. There is much sex and violence - not every mother and child survive. Those that do, particularly the mothers, quickly become willing disciples, Brothers and Sisters in more than one sense. As much as they fail to recognise themselves as victims, they fail to feel guilt over the depraved acts they perform on newcomers to the fold. In this world it's survival of the fittest. Only the strong survive. TSATHOGGHUA Tsathogghua's worship has waned in the centuries since the dawn of civilisation, having attracted little worship throughout the bulk of recorded history, with a few exceptions. Little has changed since the Fall, least of all because so much has gone unrecorded in the last few hundred years. For a long time, however, followers of other gods, most notably those who follow Yig or Cthulhu, have attempted to erase much of this Great Old One's worship - in particular the residents of K'n-yan. So it would seem unlikely that there might be a resurgence in Tsathogghuan worship. And yet that seems not to be quite the case. Around the region of the Grand Canyon a strange nomad tribe can be found. Appearing initially as much like any other religionist sect, the small tribe follow the Book of Eibon, penned long ago by perhaps Tsathogghua's most notorious priest and sorcerer. Dressed in dark robes and riding in a number of caravans, the tribe seem not to be a blood-thirsty cult, instead appearing an introspective and calm order of believers. In truth their main concern is magic, and avoiding slaughter at the hands of their enemies. To their credit they've been very successful at this, with an almost intuitive knowledge of which places to avoid. They travel only at night, although they may be active during day-light hours. They maintain a small herd of cattle to substain them, plus a curious number of cats, but otherwise seem 'normal'. They trade with other tribes to ensure their day-to-day survival, and there's nothing on the surface to suggest they're anything other that salt-of-the-earth people. The tribe, called The Ebon Flow(! ouch!), are led by a large set black man, a smiley guru of a man, almost a parody of the laughing Buddha as carved out of black jade. He goes by the name of Father Ebon, and claims that these are the end times. The world is going to hell, and there's no escape. However, whilst there is still a world in existence its wonders can be enjoyed. Those that join the tribe learn that this includes taking the time to delight in the struggle and destruction of enemies, in particular rival cultists and oppressive empires. These Tsathogghuan cultists are rarely seen partaking of this destruction, but they've been known to put faith in their dark god - or their extensive magical knowledge - and for some subtle cause to lead to a devestating effect. They delight in watching their enemies' world fall apart around their ears with an almost playful glee. Most people assume Father Ebon to be a prophet stylised on the ancient Eibon. Some suggest he is the sorcerer returned from distant planes of existence. And a small handful suggest that he is Saint Toad himself, finally stirred from his slumbersome ways. CHAUGNAR FAUGN The idol of the horrific 'elephant god' resides in an underground storage facility somewhere along the west coast of what was once the United States. A bloodline of Tcho-tchos that have served him since the Fall, and a succession of individuals claiming to be the White Acolyte that will bring him to greater glory, the Great Old One was moved to an underground bunker in the early chaotic days of the fall by a collector who had only the vaguest idea that the great statue he was hoarding was more than just a magnificently crafted god to a little known asian culture. The Tcho-tchos soon enlightened him, and he became an unwilling Acolyte for a mere handful of days before dying in an inter-cult conflict. The Tcho-tchos that serve him now operate throughout much of North California, and have no interaction with the western Polity in Amerika. The eastern Polity in Europa, meanwhile, has amongst its collections of pre-Fall art, including a number of elephant headed idols found in what used to be the small Principality of Andorra, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains. At the moment they are little more than curiosities, but their unique manufacture means it can only be a matter of time before they draw greater attention.